Dell forum: Inspiron 2305 All in One

Dell Computers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I will never purchase from them again. Which is a shame because my last computer, as well as those of my daughter, sister & mother, were all Dell computers and very good. However, after what I went through today-- and what they put my 92 year old mother through-- is down right inhumane and should be criminal!

I purchased a new Dell computer, Inspiron All in One, for my mother on Feb. 7, 2011. On March 13, 2011 the screen went black. My mother called Dell and the representative insisted on sending a tech out to replace the systems board and hard drive. Sounds like most of the guts of this computer to me--so why not give her a new one? But, no, they insisted on sending a tech out and repairing it.

The first tech came out on Wed. 3/16/11 but hadn't a clue how to work on it. The second tech came out on Friday, 3/18/11, and replaced everything. On Monday, 3/21/11, the computer screen went black AGAIN. So, my mother called the company once again-- and once again they refused to replace it; rather, they decided to send out a tech to repair it AGAIN. (What's left to repair?!) So, they told her they would call her back to schedule the appointment for the tech to come to her home, and then a customer service rep. would contact her on Saturday, 3/26/11 to make sure everything was ok and fixed properly. Saturday rolls around-no appointment and no call from Dell.

This is where I take over and the nightmare continues?On Saturday, 3/26, I spent 2 ? hours on the phone with Dell trying to reach a person who could fix this computer and situation. During this time the following occurred: I was disconnected once; I was switched to 5 different departments; and I was told that Dell didn't have the part to "fix" the computer and it was on back order. No one bothered to contact my mother to let her know. Meanwhile, she has no contact with the outside world without her computer. And at 92, you don't spend a lot of time driving to your friends' houses anymore. Her computer is her link to the world and her entertainment.

When I finally reached a manager after 2 ? hours he told me the only thing he could do is send me a new Inspiron computer. Why would I want that!! The guy was not going to budge on his decision even an inch. When I requested to speak to his superior, he told me someone would contact me in about 5 days. I told him that was unacceptable. He told me to take the computer or a full refund. I chose the full refund and told him I would be purchasing a different brand and posting my story on facebook and any other forum I could find. At that point he told me "Corporate" would be contacting me within 24 hours. It almost sounded like a threat. So, I told him I would be more than happy to speak with "Corporate." Not sure they will be happy to speak to me but we shall see.

Finally, during the 2 ? hours I was waiting on the phone with Dell, my sister did some research and discovered numerous reviews of this computer-ALL of them complaining about the same problem of the computer going black and having the hard drive replaced several times.

Clearly, this computer is a lemon. And clearly Dell knows this (since it's also been a topic of discussion on Dell's online forum) but it is not fixing the computer nor giving a different computer to customers nor issuing a recall of defective equipment. Perhaps Dell has too many customers and can afford to lose some?

Moral of my story, don't buy Dell computers. They have very poor customer service. But most of all don't purchase their Inspiron 2305 All in One.

Update: Dell's Corporate office called today only to assure us they would process the refund to see if it was approved! That was an interesting choice of words. I requested that someone above the guy I was speaking to call me and he stated "No one will call you". Wow, what does that say for Dell? Dell obviously has far too many customers and doesn't need all of us peons!

They offered to replace the system with another Inspiron (that's what you've got, right?), or refund your money. Sounds like they've extended every possible courtesy to you. Or did you want someone to come over and cook for her as well.

Do you expect a new computer to die within 1 month of purchase? I sure don't. Then to read reviews that this has happened to multiple people not just one! I expected to be able to get a different model because this one obviously has serious issues. Maybe your fine with having techs come out twice to replace the guts of your computer (twice) and still have the same problem but I am not. I expect a whole lot more from a computer and better customer service when the problem is with their product. The only reason they were going to give a new computer was because I got upset and that was after 2 1/2 hours of my time.

I too bought an Inspiron One 2305 direct from Dell in November 2010. First the hard drive failed and was replaced. Then the screen went black, as described by 'cstollenwerk.' Since then I have been given the run-around by Dell. My unit was slightly outside the one year warranty. Parts do not seem to exist to repair the unit, which would seem to be a waste of time. After having bought numerous Dell PCs over a period of about 12 years, this experience has taught me a hard lesson - $1,400 lost and Dell providing no support whatsoever. They have proven to be a terrible company to deal with and I would not buy another PC from them ever again!

The problem with the Dell Inspiron One is a design flaw in the case. That's why no amount of hardware replacement will fix this problem. The case design restricts the air flow to almost nil. This problem effects the hard drive and video hardware causing the hard drive to failure prematurely and the video chips to get to hot. Removing the back cover will allow the computer to run fine, but of course, no one wants to run with an open case. I modified the case to allow more air flow and added an extra fan to fix it. I also removed the shield from the MB to let the video chip receive more air.

Hi! A friend of mine gave me an Inspiron One 2205 All in one PC that failed after two years of use. I took it home and as soon as I opened the case I could totally see why this was a bad heat management design. After cleaning the heatsink that was totally occluded with dust and tightened the CPU and GPU heatpipe assembly screws, the system came back to life! I also went ahead and undervolted the CPU with K10STAT and now the system runs stable from 27-40 degrees Celsius. The system starts overheating if I put the case back on, so right now I am using it without the case and without the motherboard shield, but I am afraid this "setup" will start to get dirty and dusty quickly. I hope you don't mind answering some questions I have since you have done this already.

1. How did you modify the case (What tools did you use to cut the case for the fan)? 2. I am thinking on just installing a 92mm fan case on top of the CPU/GPU area and put pantyhose on top of the fan cover assembly to filter the air intake, does this sound like a good idea?3. How did you connect the fan? I see an empty connector (seems like a 4 pin PWM) labeled "MXM FAN" right besides the system's heatsink fan so I am thinking about using that or piggy-backing the system fan.4. Did you also install an exhaust fan or did you just made more openings at the top?

I'm also working on an Inspiron One but it's the 2305. The original owner paid out hundreds of dollars to get this thing working, about as much as it cost him to purchase. Dell replaced several parts but not the sata cable. I finally said I'd take a look at it to see if I could get it working.

I was searching for the possibility of connecting 2 case fans to that 4 pin pwm labeled "MXM FAN" on the motherboard and found this posting. I'd already viewed a video where a guy installed two 120mm case fans on the back of a Inspiron One 2320 AIO but he spliced the fan wires into other wires in the case. I could do that but I'm thinking why do that if I can use that motherboard connector. I'm also putting a locking sata cable on the hard drive as I saw lots of posts about the sata cable being a problem with this unit. The fans and splitter have arrived and I'm going to go ahead and try it.

I also think removing the shield for the motherboard will help with cooling. I think the holes along the top will help to dispurse the heat after the fans are installed.

One 19, Black screen, tech out to my house 3 times. Replaced everything in the computer except the power transformer. Finally after a month of back and forth, I talked a supervisor to "ok" a replacement and since the One 19 was discontinued they offered my a reasonable replacement my 2305. However, Dell support has no warranty listed on this computer, and now that I am seeing over heating probs I cannot get the help in fixing this issue. YES I have cleaned out the case and computer and triple checked the fans are plugged in properly. Dell has been good to me over the years, but they dropped the ball on this one.

The 2305 is a good entry level 23" touch screen. Completely lacks expandability. Dell does not support Windows 8 on this machine, but I have run several installations of Windows 8 with little incident.

If you believe this post is offensive or violates the CNET Forums' Usage policies, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the post). Once reported, our moderators will be notified and the post will be reviewed.

Track this thread and email me when there are updates.Please read before posting

If you're asking for technical help, please be sure to include all your system info, including operating system, model number, and any other specifics related to the problem. Also please exercise your best judgment when posting in the forums--revealing personal information such as your e-mail address, telephone number, and address is not recommended.

Old Thread Warning!

This thread is more than days old. It is very likely that it does not need any further discussion and replying to it will serve no purpose. However, if you feel it is necessary to make a new reply, you can still do so.

I am aware that this thread is old, but I still want to post a reply.

Checkbox must be checked in order to post in this old thread.

Sorry, there was a problem submitting your post. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem generating the preview. Please try again.

Duplicate posts are not allowed in the forums. Please edit your post and submit again.